This is the latest update on the Peng Shuai case, which has caused turmoil in the tennis world and beyond: the International Olympic Committee came on Sunday to make sure the Chinese athlete, who has been reported missing for nearly three weeks, is safe and in good health. , after a video call put the player in contact with the head of the organization.
The IOC said, through a statement, that Peng Shuai began the call with Thomas Bach thanking the body for its interest and efforts in seeking clarifications regarding his whereabouts. She explained that she is safe and well, and lives in her home in Beijing, but she wants to maintain her privacy at this time.
“At this point, you want to spend time with family and friends. In any case, you will continue to participate in tennis, the sport that you love so much,” the IOC continues, providing a more tangible signal that the athlete will be safe.
This is because a video has already been published, by the Chinese media, in which Peng Shuai is seen in a restaurant with the coach and not only, in a conversation that indicated that it was a real video. Later, photos of the tennis player at a children’s tournament in Beijing seemed insufficient to assure the sports world that the Chinese woman was fine.
Among the various names in the sport and various organizations, pressure has been mounting over the past few days to provide reliable and independent evidence of the well-being of Peng Shuai. In the last hours, it was the French foreign minister who asked the Chinese authorities for more details on the case: “I’m just waiting for one thing to say,” stressed Jean-Yves Le Drian, in statements to LCI.
The disappearance of Peng Shuai became a global issue after a player turned to a Chinese social network to report an alleged sexual assault by a former Chinese ruler. The post was quickly deleted, but the case really spread and the tennis player has not been seen since. So far, the Chinese government has not commented on the matter either.
